Chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s contract renewed till next year

Ajit Agarkar will continue as chairman of the senior selection committee after the BCCI decided to renew his contract for one more year, keeping an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup. Under Agarkar’s chairmanship, the selected Indian teams between October 2023 and March 2026 reached four ICC tournament finals, winning three of them — two T20 World Cups and one ICC Champions Trophy — and it was a foregone conclusion that his contract would be renewed for a fourth year.

“Agarkar didn’t seek extension. A selector can continue up to four years in either junior or senior selection committee and five years cumulatively across both committees. Hence, Ajit’s contract is being renewed and not extended,” a senior BCCI source said.

Sources close to Agarkar always maintained that he preferred to let the decision-makers assess his panel’s performance rather than seek a renewal himself.

Continuity ahead of the 50-over World Cup is one of the key factors behind the board’s decision.

During his tenure, the committee has taken several tough calls, including overseeing the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and gradually phasing out senior pacer Mohammed Shami from international cricket. It also made a bold selection call, dropping Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill from the T20 World Cup squad and instead fielding a form player in Ishan Kishan.